the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department to take action against two brokers digital currency Iranian payments. The measures included the publication of temporary custodian addresses for criminals and a warning to digital currency operators and financial communities that anyone dealing with defendants could be subject to second-class penalties.
Involvement in ransom software attacks
The foreign assets watchdog said the two individuals based in Iran were Ali Kharashadezadeh and Mohammed Gorbayan. According to a press release issued by the US Treasury Department today, they have helped to make payments from the Bettkin to the Iranian Rial, and these funds were sent to Iranian cybercriminals involved in ransom programs.
According to the official statement, Kharashadizadeh and Gorbanian were arrested on charges of providing financial support, sponsorship, financial or technological support, provision of goods or services, or support for ransom software attacks.
The Office of Foreign Assets Supervision (OFAC) has defined and published the titles of portfolios associated with intermediaries. The titles of two portfolios dealt with approximately 6,000-7000 content through 40 digital currency transactions. Taking into account the price of the brewery today, this would amount to more than $ 25 million.
The US Department of Justice has also charged the mediators with infecting more than 200 networks using the ransom system in the United States , the United Kingdom and Canada since 2015. A hospital in Indiana lost all information technology networks during storms, prompting them to pay ransom to protect patients.
The news has sparked much controversy over social media.
Published the names of the accused mediators
Today's conduct represents the first time that OFAC has publicly provided addresses to individual digital currency custodians. Operators who identify or find the addresses of published portfolios are also required to comply with the obligations of the Office of Foreign Assets Control regardless of whether the transactions are in currency or digital currencies. As with criminal intermediaries, the addresses of these digital currency governors in compliance and digital currency communities should help identify transactions and funds to be filled in and investigate any contacts to these addresses.
The actions of the Treasury Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control are part of a broader campaign of sanctions and US economic pressures aimed at Iran, aimed at undermining the wide spectrum of malicious activities of the Iranian regime and forcing the regime to change its behavior and foreign policies. Iran is now in the process of issuing its own currency.
And warned the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Siegel Mandelker:
"The Treasury Department will pursue Iran and other rogue regimes that are trying to exploit the digital currency and vulnerabilities of the Internet and will work to combat money laundering and reduce the financing of terrorism to promote its evil aims